“If you don’t want your only son to take a trip to the underworld then have your men move out of the room!” Tang Shiang said as he pressed his sword even harder against Tang Xiao’s neck, causing a thin streak of blood to ooze out from Tang Xiao’s neck.
“Fa-father…” Tang Xiao managed to squeeze out of his lips as streaks of tears ran down his cheeks. Unlike other cultivators, Tang Xiao was aided by cultivation materials that his father gathered for him so simply said he was a playboy at heart and when paired with the fact that he rarely ever even got hit, one could imagine his reaction to having his hand cut off.
“Xiao it’ll be alright, father will invite the best doctors the province has and have your hand fixed.” Tang Pan said as he saw the sorry state his son was currently in.
As the standoff tensed and silence ensued, Zhang leaned against a wall and watched silently waiting to see what would happen next and to his amazement it did not take very long for something to occur.
The sea of soldiers filling up the courtyard began to split apart and four people could be seen being escorted through the crowd.
Within this group of people were two middle-aged women, a frail looking man, and a young looking man who could very well be a woman.
“Mother…” Both Tang Wei and Tang Shiang said at the same time while Zhang’s eye brightened once he saw Ai. It was without a doubt that Ai did not resist when they were apprehended or else they would have been a massive commotion, so Zhang and her covers were not yet blown.
As soldiers of the Dark Legion, at best they would receive a slap on the wrist if Tang Pan succeeds in becoming the next provincial lord, so there wasn’t much for Zhang to worry about despite Ai being capture. Also, if she wanted to, there were not many people present who could stand a chance against Ai in a fight.
“Release my son or else your father and mothers will be put to the sword.” Tang Pan said as he eyes the two brothers.
“Ho-how did you get to them so quickly…” Tang Shiang said in disbelief.
“You think that I don’t have any agents planted inside the provincial lord’s mansion? Let me remind you that I’ve been in that mansion well before your father had even stepped foot in it. Also, the city gates are all under my control now so even if the forces from the Western Fort arrives they won’t have any means of entering the city.” Tang Pan said mockingly.
“Shiang, don’t give this traitor what he wants.” A woman who seemed to be Tang Shiang’s mother said while revealing an air of nobility and grace.
“If I remember right, good nephew you are the one that cut off Xiao’s hand… How about I give your mother the same gift that you gave my son?” Tang Pan asked as he withdrew a gleaming blade from the golden scabbard.
In their current situation, no matter what Tang Pan did in the end he would still hold an absolute advantage because of the overwhelming numerical advantage that he possessed. However, a prisoner exchanged had to happen or else he could harm the four prisoners in his possession at will.
Soon enough a prisoner exchange occurred as Tang Xiao was exchanged for Ai, the provincial lord, and his two wives. As the prisoners slowly made their way to their respective sides, Zhang whispered into Tang Wei’s ear.
“Young master, it’s obvious once the prisoners are exchanged they will apprehend us and by then our lives will all fall into that traitor’s hands. So if I were to offer you an alternative scenario would you listen to my commands?” Zhang said in a whisper.
“How could we possibly get out of this situation?” Shang Wei replied with a sigh.
“Simple.” Zhang replied with a smile as the prisoner exchanged concluded.
“Capture them!” Tang Pan commanded once his son was safely by his side.
With a grin on his face and Ai by his side, Zhang waves his hand and made countless gold coins rain from the sky. Using the same trick Jin Sho employed, Zhang quickly signaled for Tang Wei to follow him as he charged toward a group of soldiers who were preoccupied with the raining gold coins.
Since Zhang’s goal was to damage either the forces of the Red Thorn Army or the Dark Legion as much as possible, if the civil war next occurs and the Dark Legion never gets dragged into it then in the end when his forces arrive they would face the combined might of two armies. So to further his plans, he decided to give the Tang brothers a way out of their dire situation.
Ignoring their master’s command, all of Tang Pan’s soldiers hurriedly tried to pick up as many gold coins as they could while Zhang and the Tang brothers tried to make their escape.
“I’ll make sure to collect back every single coin…” Zhang thought as he saw the mound of gold coins that had risen above the mansion’s walls. Suddenly a flash of inspiration appeared in his head while a smile also crept onto his face.
“A new technique…” Zhang thought as he and the group headed toward the western city gate.
While Zhang’s group was making their escape, chaos was still present within the mansion as soldiers hurriedly tried to grab as many gold coins as they could. For a province that had undergone famine and poverty for so many years, such an amount of wealth had soldier clamoring, washing military discipline out of the door.
With a click of his tongue and a quick motion of his hand, Tang Pan withdrew his sword and walked into the crowd of crazed soldiers. A stern expression was evident on his face as he swung his sword downward, decapitating a soldier who had a small pile of gold in hand.
As their comrade’s head fell to the ground and began rolling about, the soldiers snapped out of the mad states of mind and soon silence filled the courtyard.
“I want you all to go and find them and since I’m feeling generous, for every head brought back I’ll reward a thousand gold coins. As for those who do not obey orders then they will join this fella here.” Tang Pan said as blood dripped down from the blade in his hand.
Considering the amount of gold that Zhang had left behind it was simply to say that Tang Pan wished to hoard it all for himself, but when considering a soldier doesn't even make more than a hundred gold coins a year then he is offering a very large reward.
“Do it again!” Ai said with a laugh.